A note on reference and definite articles in Old Spanish

Abstract

The purpose of this note is to address some of the key issues involved in the historical analysis of the definite article in Spanish. It discusses what the difference in usage and function between early Old Spanish definite articles, on the one hand, and those in late Old Spanish and later periods, on the other, may tell us about their nature and about the structure and referentiality of the noun phrase in (Old) Spanish.